Running
by FlowrGrl77
Summary: First attempt at posting one here, so be kind. I took Frank and Callie out of their usual Bayport context and put them in Texas, where I am from. I made them a couple where F & C had a fling once upon a time, but that's all. Frank is a small town detective and is tasked with arresting Callie.
1. Chapter 1

Arresting his ex was _not_ how Detective Frank Hardy wanted to spend a Saturday night. Or any other night for that matter. He figured his ex, Callie Shaw, wouldn't be too happy about it, either.

Frank dragged in a long breath, took the arrest warrant from the glove box and climbed out of the Marble Falls' cruiser. Despite the sun having already set, it was still Texas-hot with both the heat and humidity nearing triple digits. He felt the trickle of sweat on his temple before he even made it up the steps of the craftsman's house.

He glanced around. Old habits. But despite the sudden knot in his gut, there was nothing to catch a lawman's attention. Callie's rental house was on the outskirts of town, located at the end of a narrow farm road. No nearby neighbors. Just trees, fields and lots of peace and quiet. Something Callie had insisted she needed when she'd broken off things with him.

Peace and quiet were things she definitely wouldn't get tonight.

The porch light came on and the door flew open before he even lifted his hand to knock. And there she was. Seeing her sure didn't help that knot in his stomach.

"Frank." Not exactly a greeting and certainly not friendly.

Judging from the way her pale green eyes widened, then narrowed, Callie wasn't any happier to see him than he was to see her. Though Frank did silently curse the heat that slid right through him. Not heat from the July temps this time. But rather an old attraction that wouldn't play any part in this or any of his other dealings with Callie.

"I wasn't expecting company," she said.

Obviously. She was wearing cutoff shorts and a gray T-shirt. No shoes. More of her long brown hair was out of her ponytail than in it. However, what caught his attention was the pair of suitcases next to her sofa.

"Going somewhere?" he asked.

"I, uh, no." Callie dodged his gaze and folded her arms over her chest. "If this is a social visit—"

"It's not," Frank interrupted. Best just to get this out there, and he handed her the warrant. "I'm here to arrest you for money laundering. I need to take you to the county jail to be processed."

Frank braced himself for whatever reaction Callie would have. But other than a thin, shaky breath, there wasn't one. Maybe she was in shock.

She took the warrant as if it were a bomb that might explode in her hand and glanced through it. "I see," she said.

Well, he sure as heck didn't _see._ "Never took you for the criminal type. After all, you don't have a record. Not even a parking ticket." And Frank knew because he'd checked.

Again, he waited for a reaction or at least some kind of denial. Of course, maybe she wasn't denying anything because she was indeed guilty. Part of him had hoped she would shout out she was innocent. And that he would believe her. That would make him feel a little less stupid about getting involved with a woman he obviously hadn't known well enough to land in bed with.

Her gaze skirted around the yard before it came back to his. "Sheriff Daniels sent you to arrest me? Or did you volunteer?"

"I drew the short straw." Because the other deputies had been out of the office.

Callie studied him a moment as if she might actually say something that would make sense of this but then shook her head. "Let me get my shoes and purse, and I'll go with you."

He nodded, stepped inside to wait. So no big dramatic reaction after all. That should have eased the knot in his stomach. It didn't. Nothing about this did.

It'd only been three months since the last time Frank had been in Callie's house. Another Saturday night. One that had ended with them in bed. He shoved aside the memories of that and instead focused on what'd happened the following morning when Callie had told him she never wanted to see him again, that she wasn't free to get involved with him.

A paltry explanation that still didn't set well with Frank.

Of course, nothing about Callie set right with him, and that feeling was continuing to grow with every passing second.

He heard her footsteps, thankful that she hadn't taken too long to get her things, and he turned to see her coming out of her bedroom.

"I'm sorry," Callie said. "But I don't have a choice."

And Callie pointed the gun she was holding right at Frank.

Callie tried to stop her hands from shaking, but she failed. Unlike Frank. No shaky hands for him. Just the surprised look that riffled through his brown eyes.

Then, the anger.

Of course, there was always plenty of anger and bad blood whenever Frank and she crossed paths, but this had a raw, dangerous edge to it. And it probably confirmed to him that he'd been a fool to ever get involved with her in the first place.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snapped.

She was doing what was necessary to survive. Something Callie didn't have the time to explain to Frank right now. The warrant was proof that someone was trying to get to her.

And maybe already had.

Frank didn't draw his weapon. Didn't show any signs of surrender, either, though he did keep his attention nailed to her when she made her way to the front window and glanced out.

"Did anyone follow you here?" she asked.

Frank looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. Cursed. "No. But I'm guessing this sudden bout of paranoia has to do with the money laundering charges?"

She nodded. Well, at least it had something to do with the person responsible for those charges, and that person or his hired thugs might be waiting nearby to see how all of this was going to play out.

"Did you see anyone by the garage when you drove up?" she pressed.

"No. The garage door was closed."

Good. Callie volleyed glances between Frank and the road in front of her house. Other than Frank's cruiser and her car, there were no other vehicles. That didn't mean someone hadn't made their way there on foot.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you get involved with money laundering?" Frank demanded. His attention wasn't on her but rather on her gun. He kept his narrowed eyes pinned to it.

"I didn't." Though Callie doubted he believed her, and she didn't have time to try to convince him otherwise. "Give me your handcuffs. When I'm away from Marble Falls, I'll call the sheriff and tell him you're here so he can free you."

Frank gave her a flat look, and if he was the least bit afraid that he was being held at gunpoint, he sure didn't show it. "You think you're going to cuff me?"

Before Callie could confirm that was indeed her plan, Frank lunged at her. So fast that she didn't see it coming. He was tall and lanky, but he plowed into her, sending them both to the floor. Hard. So hard that it knocked the breath right out of her. While she was gasping and sputtering for air, he knocked the gun from her hand and sent it skittering across the floor.

Frank dropped down on top of her, pinned her arms and got right in her face. Now, there was more emotion—all venomous—and he had to get his teeth unclenched before he could speak.

"Start talking," he demanded, "and you'd better have a damn good explanation for what you just tried to pull."

Callie had an explanation, but it wasn't going to help ease any of his anger. Just the opposite. Frank would hate her even more if he knew the truth, but it wouldn't be any more than she hated herself.

"I can't have you involved in this," she said, knowing it wasn't much of an answer. Or one that he would accept.

He stared at her. Or rather glared. And he was clearly waiting for a whole lot more than she could give him. However, his gaze drifted lower to where their bodies were pressed against each other. Despite the circumstances of the contact, it was a reminder for Callie of the intense heat that'd once been between them.

Heat that was apparently still there on Frank's part, too.

Frank cursed, moved off her and got them to their feet. He reached for his cuffs on the back of his jeans. However, the slash of light outside the window stopped him cold. Not from a car but rather from someone carrying a flashlight. Callie caught just a glimpse of the two men before Frank yanked her away from the window.

"Anyone you know?" Frank asked.

Callie shook her head, tried to rein in her fear. She failed at that as well. "No. But whoever it is has probably come here to kill me."


	2. Chapter 2

Frank drew his gun and hoped like the devil that Callie was lying. He knew for a fact she was very good at telling lies, but right now he preferred that to the alternative—that he might have two hit men nearby.

He took hold of Callie's arm with his left hand in case she tried to bolt, or grab her gun, and had another look out the window. The flashlight was off now, and Frank could no longer see the two men. That didn't mean they weren't out there though. They'd been dressed all in black and could be hiding in too many places to count. Of course, this could all be a false alarm, too.

Though it didn't feel like one.

Frank slapped off the living room and porch lights using the switch by the door. He considered calling for backup but decided to wait and see how this went.

"Are those men connected to the money laundering?" he asked.

The muscles in her arm were stiff. Her breathing was way too fast. She looked up at him, and though he could no longer clearly see her face, he heard the small sound of fear that bubbled up in her throat.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

He hated the apology almost as much as he hated not knowing what was going on. "Answer the question. Are they involved in the money laundering with you?"

No sound of fear this time. More like anger. "There was no money laundering. Not on my part anyway. I was set up. Maybe by those men. Maybe by the person who hired them."

Too bad he didn't have her strapped to a lie detector right now. However, if she was indeed innocent, then something else was going on. But what?

"You have to leave," Callie insisted. "They're not after you."

He tapped his badge though she clearly hadn't forgotten that situations like this were part of a lawman's job. Besides, he still had to arrest her.

"Who hired them?" Frank added.

She opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Frank saw the movement. One of the men darted behind a tree, and thanks to the milky moonlight, he saw the guy was wearing a ski mask. He was also carrying a rifle and had another weapon in a shoulder holster. And more. Frank was sure that was an infrared device he'd aimed at the house. These goons were monitoring his and Callie's every move.

Well, there went his theory about this being a false alarm. Someone out for a late night stroll wouldn't don a ski mask and come armed to the hilt. It was time to call for help though it'd be at least ten or fifteen minutes before anyone could arrive.

Frank locked the door and took out his phone. "I'm at Callie's place, and I need backup," he told Sheriff Daniels when he answered. "Approach with caution. Two men are in the east side of the front yard. At least one of them is armed."

The sheriff paused, probably because like Frank this wasn't anything he'd expected. "Any idea what they want?"

"Not yet. But I'm about to find out." Frank ended the call, and without taking his attention off the spot where he'd seen the man, he put his phone back in his pocket.

"Start talking," he told Callie. "I want answers that'll explain whatever the hell is going on here."

She didn't exactly jump into an explanation. It took her several snail-crawling moments. "I'm not the person you think I am."

Frank huffed. "Tell me something I don't know." Except he got the feeling this was about a lot more than just the money laundering and those men outside.

"I got involved with the wrong person," she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "And then I got involved with you. God, Frank. I'm so sorry."

He was about to press her for a whole lot more, but the man behind the tree stepped out, and he aimed something directly at the house. Not the infrared device or his rifle, either.

A launcher.

Maybe for tear gas or a smoke bomb. Maybe for a grenade.

"Move!" Frank warned Callie, and he started running with her in tow. Not a second too soon, either.

Whatever the man fired at them came crashing through the window.

Oh, God. It was happening—again. Callie's worst fears were coming true, and this time Frank was right in the middle of it.

"This way," she said. Callie threw open the side door that led to the garage, but Frank and she had barely stepped through it when the thick white cloud started to disperse through the house.

"Tear gas," Frank mumbled.

Yes, and it was true to its name because Callie's eyes immediately started to water, and both Frank and she began coughing. He slammed the door behind them. That helped, some, but she doubted the men would stop with just a tear gas attack.

No.

This had likely been designed to get them running outside so they could either be captured or gunned down. Callie had no intentions of letting either happen.

"Get in," she insisted, hurrying toward the SUV parked in the center of the garage. But Frank was already heading in that direction. He jumped into the passenger's seat just as she got behind the wheel and started the engine.

"Hold on," Callie warned him.

She threw the SUV into Reverse, gunning the engine. The SUV crashed through the garage door and sent bits of wood flying all around them. As soon as she was in the driveway, she spun the vehicle around and headed for the road.

The sound blasted through the night.

Not another tear gas canister this time. One of the men had shot at them, and the bullet smacked into the back of the SUV.

That put her heart right in her throat. Callie tried not to panic. But Frank was nowhere near the panic stage. He was all lawman now and turned in the seat so he was facing the rear. No doubt so he could return fire.

"There are guns and ammo in the glove compartment," Callie let him know.

Even though she didn't actually look at him, Callie could practically see the questions in his eyes. There were more questions when he opened the glove compartment and saw her stash. A first aid kit, flares, three guns and enough ammo to last in a long gunfight.

Something Callie prayed wouldn't happen. Not ever. But especially not tonight with Frank caught in the middle of this.

Whatever _this_ was.

Callie kept driving, kept her gaze firing all around to make sure there weren't other gunmen lying in wait to attack. However, she didn't see or hear anything. Especially not other shots and definitely no vehicle coming after them. Maybe that meant she'd gotten lucky.

"What the hell's going on?" Frank demanded. He glanced into the backseat at the bags filled with food, bedding and clothes.

Her escape gear.

Callie doubted she could put off answering Frank's question much longer, but there was something that had to be done. Something critical.

"There's a burner cell phone next to the guns," she said. A phone that couldn't be traced. "There are only two numbers in it—my sister's and her bodyguard's. Text my sister and tell her they found me, that I'm on the move."

Frank sent the text, after hesitating, still glancing at her at their surroundings. Afterwards, he also sent a text to the sheriff, no doubt to let him know what was going on.

"Can your phone be traced?" she asked.

"No. I turned off the location access." He tipped his head in the direction of her house. "Who are these men? Who are _you_?"

Both tough questions. Callie went with the first one. "I think these men are backup of sorts. Maybe they didn't believe you'd arrest me so they decided to take matters into their own hands."

Frank didn't say anything, but he was clearly waiting for her to add more. More that would explain things he wouldn't want to hear.

When he heard the secrets that she was hiding from him, Frank just might want to kill her, too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note-Hello readers! Thanks for taking time to read this one. I wrote this a couple years ago and thought it would be a nice one to test the water with. So I will put out the rest of the chapters today and you can read the whole thing! There isn't really much to it. It's not too deep or involved. But just a fun bit of a story. I didn't flesh the characters out too much in this story, so enjoy it for what it is. I have many other stories. I will release a couple more if it feels right. BTW, I don't really write in a series or progression style that often, so whatever happens in this story stays in this story. I know some may be disheartened by the mention of a certain character having been killed. But he is alive and well in my other stories. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and messages!**

* * *

Frank had known that knot in his gut meant trouble, but he hadn't realized just how big this particular trouble would be.

He glanced around. No sign of those grenade launching men, but that didn't mean they wouldn't return for round two. After all, they must have known he was a cop and yet they'd had no hesitation about firing a shot into the SUV.

"Go to the sheriff's office," Frank instructed Callie when she reached the intersection that led to town.

"I can't." And she immediately went in the opposite direction.

Frank cursed. "I have the feeling anything I say to you is just going to create more questions. So, start talking, and you'd better have a damn good reason why all of this is happening and begin with why you just disobeyed an order. Oh, and in case you missed it—it was indeed an order."

She blew out a long breath. Nodded. "We can't go to the sheriff's office because I'm pretty sure the emergency dispatcher, Bruce Cantores, is on the take. If I'm right, he'll tell those gunmen I'm there, and they'll come after me."

Frank hardly knew Cantores so he couldn't argue with the guy possibly being on the take. However, that didn't mean Callie wouldn't be safe at the sheriff's office. Well, hopefully it wouldn't. What else wasn't she telling him?

"You're not a cocktail waitress, are you?" he asked.

Callie shook her head. "I'm in WITSEC, and considering what just happened, I think it's safe to say my identity's been blown."

"WITSEC," he repeated. And suddenly a few things made sense. Callie's secretive ways. The little lies he'd caught her telling. Maybe even their affair that she'd nipped in the bud. "Those men are connected to the reason you're in WITSEC?"

"Yes." And that's all she said for a long time. "They're almost certainly working for Everett Welsh."

It felt as if someone had punched him—twice. It was a name Frank knew all too well. Detective Everett Welsh. A dirty Houston cop who'd been accused of murdering a fellow officer, Joe Hardy.

Frank's brother.

Even though it'd been a year since all of that had happened, it still felt fresh and raw. Always would. Mainly because Everett hadn't been brought to justice. He'd disappeared before the cops could arrest him.

After a long look in the side and rearview mirrors, Callie took the road that led to Mercy Creek. Then, almost immediately she took another turn, then another, working her way along the dirt roads that snaked through the area.

"How do you know Everett Welsh?" he asked.

"He worked for me." It sounded as if she were choosing her words carefully. "I own a private security company in Houston. I inherited it from my father, and Everett regularly moonlighted for me as a bodyguard and on protection details. My sister and I run the business—all remotely now, of course—since we're both in hiding."

Frank had to replay that several times in his head. Definitely not a cocktail waitress, something he should have figured out before this whole fiasco. "What exactly does Everett want from you?"

"He wants me dead so I can't testify against him." She didn't hesitate, either. "I can't put him away for murder, but I did uncover him committing some assorted felonies. Including money laundering."

She took yet another turn on a road that could barely qualify as a road and stopped the SUV in front of a fishing cabin.

"I'm renting this place under an alias." She pulled the keys from the ignition and handed them to him. In the same motion, Callie scooped up one of the bags from the backseat, added a gun and some ammo to it.

Her gaze came to his. "Take the SUV and leave. But give me a couple of hours before you tell anyone you left me here. I know it's a lot to ask but please, just do it."

Until she added the _please_ , Frank had been about to tell her hell no. However, the please coupled with that look of fear in her eyes was a bad combination. He'd always been a sucker for a damsel in distress, and while Callie wasn't exactly a damsel, she was in plenty distress.

Especially with a killer like Everett after her.

"I'm staying here with you," Frank informed her. He added some profanity under his breath. Not for Callie. He aimed it at himself, figuring this was a mistake he was going to sorely regret come morning.

* * *

Callie pulled back her shoulders and felt not only the heat but also the anger rush through her. So much anger that it clearly messed with her mind. Because she did the unthinkable.

Callie grabbed Frank and kissed him.

She'd intended for the kiss to make a point. That pity had nothing to do with what'd happened between them. But it was a risky way to set him straight. Risky, because Frank finished what she started.

He snapped her to him. Body to body. And kissed her long, hard and deep. He tasted exactly the way he looked—hot and slightly dangerous. When he finally broke the contact, Callie didn't have much breath left. Didn't care, either.

"I was just checking," he drawled.

Callie was about to blast him for playing with fire, but his phone rang before she could say anything.

He glanced at the screen. "It's Daniels." And Frank put the call on speaker.

"I'm out at Callie's place," she heard the sheriff say the moment Frank answered. "Those men who attacked you—they left a message for Callie." Daniels paused, cursed. "What the hell kind of secrets is Callie keeping?"


	4. Chapter 4

Frank wanted to know the same thing, and judging from the way the color drained from Callie's face, there were indeed secrets. Big, bad ones.

"Someone left a message on the living room wall at Callie's place, and I'm sending you a photo of it now," Daniels went on. "I'm guessing it's from the men who shot at you two."

Callie scrambled closer, her attention nailed to the screen as the message loaded: "Does Detective Hardy know the truth about you, Callie?"

That didn't help Callie regain any of her color. She only shook her head and backed away from him. Obviously, she wasn't planning to volunteer anything. But Frank would do something about changing her mind.

"I'll ask Callie about it," Frank assured his boss. "Did you find out if the dispatcher, Bruce Cantores, is dirty?" It was something Frank had asked Daniels to check on when he'd called him earlier. That, and anything he could find out about Callie.

"Not yet," Daniels answered. "But I'm keeping him out of the info loop just in case. Are you sure there's dirt to find on Cantores?"

"I'm sure," Callie volunteered. "I'm also sure there's a guard at the county jail who's on the take. I believe it was Everett's plan to have that guard kill me so he wouldn't be implicated. That's why Everett framed me for money laundering."

"Yeah, _that_ ," Daniels mumbled. "I can only hold off the warrant another day or two. If we haven't found Everett by then, Frank has to arrest you and bring you in."

Even though Frank hadn't spelled that out to her, Callie clearly understood what had to happen. Of course, that meant she'd just try to escape again.

"Marshal Jake Lassiter called earlier," Daniels went on. "He said he was handling Callie's WITSEC case."

She nodded. "I called him a couple of hours ago and told him my identity had been blown."

"So he said. The marshal also said you shouldn't have been within a hundred miles of Marble Falls. I'm guessing that's something Frank will be asking you about as well." He paused. "So why did Everett send the gunmen to your house if he'd planned on you dying at the jail?"

Frank thought he had the answer for this. "The men used infrared, and I believe when they realized Callie was about to escape, they had orders to stop her." And by stop, Frank was pretty sure that meant those men were going to kill them both.

"I'll let you know when and if I find anything," Daniels assured him and ended the call.

Frank put his phone away, his gaze locked to Callie's. _"Does Detective Hardy know the truth about you, Callie?"_ he said, repeating the message left at her house.

The seconds crawled by before she started talking. "I wasn't lying when I was with you. I mean, what happened wasn't a lie."

He gave her a flat look. "I think that kiss proved the sex part wasn't a lie. But what other things are you keeping from me?"

She paused again. "Everett didn't just work for me. We had an affair."

Oh, man. He hadn't seen that coming, and it took Frank several moments to get his jaw working so he could speak. "You slept with the man who murdered my brother?"

Callie pulled in a long breath. Nodded. "And if it weren't for me, your brother would still be alive."

* * *

Callie tried to catch onto Frank so she could explain, but he moved away from her as if she'd just shot him. It certainly must have felt that way to him. The ultimate betrayal.

Frank groaned and put his hands on each side of his head. He mumbled something she didn't catch before his gaze fired to her. "Explain. That." And his voice dripped not just with grief but with anger.

She'd always figured this day would come, but Callie still wasn't ready for it. And while Frank was demanding the truth, it wouldn't be what he wanted to hear and would just reopen some painful old wounds.

"Everett had worked for me for a couple of months when I started to suspect he was into some criminal activity," Callie explained once she was able to speak. "Extortion, for one. And as I said, money laundering. He was using the security jobs I assigned him to spy on rich clients and then blackmail them."

He glared at her. "You knew he killed my brother?" A muscle flickered in his jaw.

Callie nodded. "I knew he was capable of it. I'd recovered some surveillance footage of him beating up someone who hadn't paid him hush money on time."

"So, why the hell didn't you do something about that?" Frank opened his mouth, closed it and then cursed before he continued. "Was it because you were sleeping with Everett?"

That stung, but it was a valid question. "No. I'd ended the affair weeks earlier. Something about it just hadn't felt right. Then, I discovered what he was doing, and I started trying to gather more evidence, something that would put him away. I knew if he didn't go away for life that he'd be a danger to my sister, me and anyone else who could testify against him."

Though it was true, it didn't soften his glare. "If you'd gone to the cops sooner…" Frank didn't finish that. Didn't have to. Because they both knew if she'd just made that call a day earlier, Joe would still be alive.

"For what it's worth," Callie continued, "I was on my way to the cops the night Everett shot Joe. In fact, Joe was the cop I was meeting to turn over all the evidence I'd found. I know, we didn't exactly get the happy ending I was hoping for."

"Definitely not happy." Frank sounded as if that applied to them, too, and their brief, ill-fated relationship. He shook his head. "Joe never mentioned you. And there was nothing about you in the press after the news broke about Everett murdering Joe."

"Houston PD managed to conceal my identity and eventually put me in WITSEC. I was supposed to go to Dallas. And I did for several months. Then, I came to Marble Falls, hoping I could somehow atone for Joe's death. I know it sounds stupid. I can't atone for something like that, but just know that sleeping with you was never part of my plan."

Frank gave her no indication whatsoever that he believed her. And why should he?

"After you realized you'd screwed up by sleeping with me, why didn't you just leave town right away?" he asked.

Good question. But this was another situation of her giving him an answer he wasn't going to like. "I should have," Callie added under her breath. "I just thought maybe if I stayed I could figure out a way to fix things."

His glare got worse. "You can't fix this."

Frank would have no doubt added more if her phone hadn't rang. The sound shot through the room and through her because Callie knew there were only two people who would be using that particular number to call her. Marshal Jake Lassiter or her sister, and neither would likely be calling with good news.

It was the marshal.

She snatched up the phone, her hands already shaking as she answered. "What's wrong?" Callie snapped.

"Plenty," Marshal Lassiter verified. "Your location's been compromised. You need to get out of there right now."


	5. Chapter 5

Frank was still reeling from the bombshell of everything he'd just learned about Callie and Joe. The last thing he wanted to do was face down Everett's hit men, but that's exactly what would happen if Callie and he stayed put.

"Let's go," Frank insisted, already drawing his gun.

Though he really didn't have to say it since Callie was already moving. After she'd showered the night before, she hadn't changed into PJs or a gown but rather jeans and a top. She slipped on the shoes right next to her bed and grabbed her bag, also next to the bed. It was obvious she'd been living in a state of readiness—and fear—for a long time.

"How did this happen?" she asked the marshal as they headed toward the front of the house. She pressed the speaker function, drew her gun, and together Frank and she looked out the front windows.

No one was out there. Or at least no one he could see. Since it was morning, it was much easier to see the yard and surroundings unlike the night before.

"I'm not sure what went wrong," the marshal answered, "but it's possible someone tampered with my phone and used it to pinpoint your location when you called earlier. It's also possible the other location has been compromised, too."

Callie groaned. Frank cursed. Everett was an expert in security. They should have anticipated something like this would happen.

"Don't tell me where you're going and don't call me once you've moved," the marshal added. "I'll contact you once I'm sure it's safe. I'll also call in some back-up for you." And with that, he hung up.

Frank wondered if _safe_ was even possible. Probably not as long as Everett was out there. "Could someone have tampered with the SUV, too?" he asked.

"Not without the alarm system going off. It's connected to my cell phone so I would have gotten an alert."

That was something at least. They wouldn't have to get out of there on foot.

"See anyone?" she asked.

Frank shook his head, grabbed the keys for the SUV. "Move fast. I'll drive. I know where we can go."

She didn't argue. Didn't say a word until they'd reached the SUV. Frank started the engine and got them out of there fast while both Callie and he kept watch around them.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't." And yeah, it was a warning. Frank not only didn't have time for an apology, he didn't want the distraction of having to relive all the old feelings a conversation like that would bring up.

She glanced at the farm road when he took the first turn. "Please tell me you're not taking me into town."

"No." But close. "I'm taking you to Marble Falls Ranch."

Callie looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. Heck, maybe he had. But it was either that or the sheriff's office, and Frank didn't want to go there until he was positive Bruce Cantores couldn't somehow rat out their location.

"The ranch is the sheriff's home," she pointed out.

And his brothers and sisters lived there, too. "We're not going to the main house, but there's a hunting cabin on the back part of the property we can use." Best not to tell her it's where Frank and Daniels's younger brother, Colt, had taken their girlfriends when they were teenagers.

She was shaking her head before he even finished. "I don't want to put anyone else in danger. Especially you. You know who I am, what I've done, so just drop me off somewhere and distance yourself from me."

Frank gave her a frosty glare to let her know that wasn't going to happen. "I'm a lawman, and even if I weren't, I wouldn't bow out of this." And he damn sure didn't want to explore all the reasons why.

Nor did he have time.

He rounded the curve and had to slam on the brakes to stop the SUV from plowing right into a car that was parked sideways on the road.

Hell. What now?

But Frank didn't have to wait long for an answer. Because he recognized the man who stepped from the truck.

It was Everett Welsh.

Callie's heart went to her knees. She raised her gun, but it was already too late. Two armed men stood up from the truck bed, and they aimed assault rifles at Frank and her.

It was Everett all right even though he'd obviously tried to disguise his appearance. He'd dyed his pale blond hair to dark brown and let it grow long and shaggy. He was also wearing mirrored shades, and the sunlight bounced off them and right into her eyes.

"Get down," Frank told her. But he certainly wasn't doing that. He, too, lifted his gun and stayed put, his attention nailed to Everett.

"Move and we shoot out the tires," Everett shouted. "Or maybe we'll just shoot you instead—starting with the detective, of course. Is that what you want, for him to die on this road out in the middle of nowhere?"

It was the last thing Callie wanted. She'd already cost Frank and his family enough. Yet here he was, right back in danger. Later, she'd kick herself for that, but now she needed to find a way out of this.

"Well, _Callie_?" Everett taunted. "Why don't you step outside so we can chat? I figure we don't have a lot of time since the cowboy likely has back-up on the way."

Back-up was indeed on the way. But it might not get there in time. Frank and she were on their own.

"Don't you dare go out there," Frank snarled.

But that's exactly what he did.

Callie tried to catch onto him to stop him from following her, but Frank opened the door and put one foot on the step of the SUV. The other he kept on the accelerator.

"This isn't going to end well for you," Frank said to Everett. "I'll get off at least one shot before your men open fire, and that one shot will go straight into your heart."

Everett laughed. "You're a lot like your brother, you know that? That's not a good thing. Because it was that kind of attitude that got him killed."

Callie saw the muscles tighten on Frank's arm and jaw. Could practically feel the rage washing through him. She couldn't blame him. He was literally face-to-face with his brother's killer, but she prayed Frank didn't act on that rage.

Because it would only get him killed.

Callie opened the passenger's side door and leaned out. As expected, that earned her a _what the hell do you think you're doing_ glare from Frank. What she was doing was probably suicide, but she couldn't just sit there and do nothing while Everett gunned down Frank.

Everett didn't glare at her though. He smiled, but she had no trouble seeing that dark, dangerous edge beneath the oily grin. "There's my girl," he said.

That gave her a new surge of anger. "I'm not your girl. And I want you to let Frank walk away from this."

"Don't bargain for me," Frank warned her. "We're getting out of here now," he added in a rough whisper.

Before she could figure out what he was about to do, Frank threw the SUV into Reverse and hit the accelerator. Callie's back flew against the seat, both Frank's and her doors slamming shut.

But that wasn't the only noise or jolt.

A bullet crashed through the windshield.

"Get down," Frank said a split-second before he slammed on the brakes and backed into a narrow trail.

Frank didn't waste any time turning the SUV around, and with the bullets still coming at them, he sped away.


	6. Chapter 6

Frank hoped that coming to Marble Falls Ranch didn't turn out to be a mistake, but then just about everything he could do at this point could fall into the mistake category.

Including not distancing himself from Callie.

This was about as big of a conflict of interest as a lawman could have, but here he was in a small hunting cabin with her. So close that he could see every drop of fear in her eyes.

Still, pretty much anything was better than being on that farm road with Everett and his hired thugs, especially since the cabin had a security system and was in a clearing so it would make it very hard for anyone to sneak up on them.

He'd gotten lucky, being able to outrun those thugs. It'd helped that Everett had had to jump inside the truck to go in pursuit. The man had wasted critical moments that had allowed Callie and him to escape, but Frank hated that he had to rely on something like Everett's mistake and some luck to get Callie safely out of there.

Hated even more that this was far from being over.

Callie obviously knew that, too, because she definitely wasn't relaxing. She still had a death grip on her gun and was pacing in the cabin.

Not that there was much room to pace.

The whole area was only about fifteen square feet with the living area, kitchen and bed all in the same room. In addition to that was a single storage closet and bathroom. Still, Callie made use of each inch and checked the trio of windows each time she passed them. She was beyond being on edge and right at the breaking point with tears threatening. He figured once she started crying, it would be a long time before she stopped.

"I'm so sorry about all of this," she said—again.

Frank had lost count of exactly how many times she'd apologized since they'd arrived at the cabin, and he didn't bother telling her—again—that this wasn't her fault. He doubted there was much of anything he could say that would help so when she paced by him, he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her to him.

"Don't," Callie warned him. "You don't need to comfort me."

Frank ignored her, and because he thought they could both use it, he brushed a kiss on her forehead. "Maybe I need you to comfort me."

She leaned back. Stared at him and frowned. "Don't be nice to me right now. I don't think I could handle that."

He nearly laughed. "I'm not being nice. Your legs are shaky. You look ready to keel over. If you fall in a space this small, you'll take me with you."

The corner of her mouth twitched, threatening to smile, but it quickly vanished. The tears came, shimmering in her eyes, and Frank knew he had to do something to stop her from crumbling.

So, he kissed her.

Yeah, it was stupid, but after one taste, Frank forgot all about the stupid part and remembered exactly why they'd hooked up in the first place. This attraction. And that was a mild word for it. The heat went through him like wildfire, starting at his mouth and going to every part of him. Especially one part.

He snapped her even closer, and much to his surprise, Callie didn't even try to pull away from him. She melted into his arms, into the kiss, and soon they were grappling to get even closer. Something that wouldn't happen unless they stripped and got in the bed.

And with the way things were going, that's exactly what was about to happen.

Callie got lost in the heat of the kiss.

Being in Frank's arms was just what her body wanted, but she knew sex wouldn't fix anything. It'd be good, but no fixing. Besides, they needed to keep watch, and that was the only reason she was finally able to force herself away from him.

Gulping in a long breath, Frank stared at her. "A mistake?" he asked.

She hoped so, but it didn't exactly feel as if it fell into the mistake category. Callie didn't have much time to dwell on it though because his phone rang, and she saw something on the screen that got her complete attention.

Unknown caller.

That probably wasn't a good sign. Frank must have thought so, too, because there was instant alarm in his eyes.

"The caller can't use my phone to pinpoint our location," he reminder her, "but don't say anything when I answer." She nodded, and he put the call on speaker, not saying anything, either.

"Callie?" the man on the other end of the line said. _Everett._ "Are you ready for us to have that chat now?"

Oh, mercy. She wasn't ready for another round with Everett. But Frank obviously was. He hit the record button on his phone. Good thinking. Because Everett might say something incriminating. Of course, this was just as likely to be an attempt to push her buttons so she'd let something slip and give away their location.

"Callie, does the detective know you could have saved his brother?" Everett asked.

That tightened Frank's mouth, and all traces of the fire between them vanished. A new fire came—the anger that was still inside him. Probably always would be. Which did indeed make that kiss a mistake.

"What the hell do you want?" Frank snapped.

"For you to come to your senses and do your job," Everett readily answered. "Put Callie under arrest and take her to the jail."

"Where your hired thug can kill her? No thanks, I'll pass on that. You've got a bad track record when it comes to keeping people alive."

"And you've got an equally bad track record with it comes to Callie. Have you slept with her yet?" Everett asked. "I'm betting you have."

Frank huffed. "Is there a point to this call? Like maybe a confession, or are you just wasting my time?"

"There's a point. I want to talk to Callie right now," he demanded. "Put her on the phone."

"People in hell want air-conditioning," Frank fired back. "Don't mean they're going to get it. Same with you talking to Callie. Anything you want to say to her, you can say to me. If it suits me, I'll pass it along to her. Maybe."

Even though she couldn't see Everett's face, Callie could practically feel the rage coming from the other end of the line.

"Fine," Everett growled. "Tell her I've been busy lately. It took me a while to pick through the dealings of her security company, but I finally found something."

Nothing about that sounded good especially since Everett wanted her dead.

"What did you find?" Frank demanded.

Everett took his time answering. "I found Anna. Tell Callie I know where her sister is, and better yet, I know how to get to her."


	7. Chapter 7

Frank watched as the color drained from Callie's face. He was sure his color wasn't too great, either. Because Everett's threat no doubt went straight to Callie's greatest fear.

"You're lying," Callie blurted out.

Frank had wanted her to stay quiet, but after that bombshell Everett had just delivered, there was no way that could happen.

 _Tell Callie I know where her sister is, and better yet, I know how to get to her._

"You wish it was a lie," Everett taunted. "Like I said, it took me a while, but I finally tracked her down through some business dealings with the security company you two own."

Callie hurried to her bag, riffling through it to get her burner cell, the one she'd had Frank use the night before to text Anna. She pressed in the number. Waited. While it rang. And rang. Before going to voicemail.

"Oh, God." Callie looked ready to run right out there, and that might be exactly what Everett wanted her to do.

"This could be a trap," Frank reminded her in a whisper. "Try the bodyguard."

Her hands were shaking like crazy, but Callie pressed in the numbers. Like the call to her sister, it also went to voicemail.

Hell. That couldn't be good.

Everett laughed. "What's the matter, Callie? Are you scared? Well, you should be. Your kid sister's no match for me."

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Callie yelled, and she frantically tried to call the bodyguard again.

"What do you want?" Frank asked Everett. He doubted he'd get a straight answer from the man, but maybe Everett would say something, anything, that would help Frank diffuse this situation.

"I want Callie, of course, and if she doesn't meet me, her sister will pay the price." And with that threat still hanging in the air, Everett ended the call.

Frank didn't waste any time phoning the sheriff to let him know what was going on. Or rather what was possibly happening. He still wasn't sure this wasn't all some kind of bluff to scare Callie.

If so, it'd worked.

"Daniels's contacting the marshals," Frank relayed to Callie once he'd finished his call. "He's not going through Marshal Lassiter in case he still has security issues with his phone."

"I can't just wait here," Callie insisted.

That's what Frank was afraid she might say, but before Callie could bolt for the door, her phone rang.

"Anna," she said on a rise of breath. She put the call on speaker. "Are you okay? Everett said he'd found you."

"He might have," Anna answered. "We're okay though. Steve is moving me now."

Steve, the bodyguard. "How did you learn about Everett finding you?" he asked.

"That's Frank," Callie provided.

He wasn't sure Anna would even know who he was, but she didn't question it so obviously Callie had told her about him.

"I got a call a few minutes ago from the IT folks," Anna explained. "I was on the line with them and that's why I didn't answer your call. They said someone had hacked into my email account. Don't worry, Steve is taking me to our backup safe house."

And that was likely the reason the bodyguard hadn't readily answered his phone, either.

"Be careful," Callie insisted.

"We will…wait," Anna said, and Frank had trouble hearing the fear in her voice. "Oh, God. Someone's here!"

* * *

Callie could have sworn her heart stopped. "Anna? What's wrong? Who's there?"

"I don't know. I'll call you when I can," Anna said and hung up.

Sweet heaven. This couldn't be happening. They'd taken so many precautions to prevent this. "Everett didn't lie," she mumbled. "He did know where Anna was."

Frank put his arm around her. "You don't know that. This could be unrelated to Everett. Maybe someone's just visiting them or driving by the place."

She wanted to believe that—mercy, did she—but Everett had been relentless in his attempt to find them and had now likely succeeded.

Because her legs felt ready to give way, Callie sank onto the sofa, and Frank was right there with her. Comforting her. Or at least trying to do that.

Callie shook her head. "I thought Everett would come after me. I mean, I kept tight security around Anna, _very tight_ , and I always figured I was the one who'd be easiest to find."

"Because you stayed in Marble Falls?" Frank asked.

She hadn't intended to meet his gaze, but she did, and Frank must have seen what Callie didn't want him to see in her eyes.

Frank stayed quiet a moment. "And you stayed around because of me."

Callie wanted to deny it, but a lie like that wouldn't make it past her throat. Plus, he could no doubt see the truth now. Yes, she'd stayed because of him. A sort of personal torture. A penance for not having saved his brother. She couldn't have Frank because he hadn't known the truth about Everett and her. And she couldn't stand the thought of being away from him.

"I packed my suitcases, intending to leave," Callie said. "But I couldn't make myself do it. If I had, you wouldn't be in danger. And if I'd surrendered to Everett today, Anna would be safe."

Frank cursed and pulled her to him. "No one's safe with a man like Everett on the loose. He wouldn't have stopped with just you."

No. Probably not. He would have gone after Frank because Everett would have considered him a loose end.

Her phone buzzed. Not a call but a text from Anna. Callie's fingers were shaking so it took her a few seconds to push the right button to see the message.

"We got out," Anna texted. "We're on the way to the backup safe house. Will get in touch with you once we're settled."

The relief came in a flash, and the breath she'd been holding rushed out. Frank was right there to help her through that, too. Callie wanted nothing more than to grasp onto the relief. And Frank. But Frank was the one who broke the embrace.

He eased back, looking at her. "Why would Everett give you a warning like that? He must have known you'd call Anna."

It was as if a Roman candle went off in her head, and Callie couldn't take out her phone fast enough. If Everett's hackers had truly managed to get past their security, then he would have learned all sorts of things, including the location where Anna and Steve were headed next.

Frank was obviously on the same page as she was. "How far is the backup safe house from the location they just left?" he asked.

"Minutes." Oh, God.

Callie had to warn her sister _now_.


	8. Chapter 8

Callie was pacing again, and Frank didn't think there was anything he could do to calm her down. All they could do was wait.

And worry.

Callie was clearly doing enough of that for both of them, but Frank knew in this case there was a reason for the fear—Everett and his hired thugs.

Thanks to a call from Callie, Anna and her bodyguard knew about the possible breach in security at the second safe house. Callie had managed to phone them in time so they could head in the opposite direction. That meant for now they were probably out of harm's way— _probably_ —but he doubted Callie would even begin to relax until she got a call from Anna saying they were somewhere safe.

Frank had made his own call to Daniels to get an update on the hunt for Everett, but he hadn't exactly gotten good news on that front. Everett was still at large, and even though Daniels had Bruce Cantores in custody, the former emergency dispatcher wasn't fessing up to anything about an involvement with Everett. Perhaps because Bruce didn't actually know who'd hired him to leak information from the sheriff's office. Everett wouldn't have wanted to leave a loose end like that around.

"This is all my fault," Callie said, something that had turned into somewhat of a mantra for her.

"No. It's Everett's fault." Frank grabbed her hand, eased her back onto the sofa with him. That wild look of fear in her eyes let him know though that she wouldn't stay put for long.

Thankfully, her phone kept her seated. Before the first ring had even finished, she answered it and put it on speaker.

"We're okay," Anna said. "Steve drove around a long time to make sure we weren't being followed, and we just checked into a hotel. We're in—"

"Don't tell me the location," Callie interrupted. "I know our phones are safe, but I'd rather not take the chance."

"Of course. We'll stay here for a day or two, regroup and once Steve has set up a new safe house, I'll call you." Anna paused. "Is everything okay there? Are you still with that hot detective?"

That put some color back in Callie's cheeks. "Yes, he's here."

"Good. He'll take care of you. Stay safe," Anna added and ended the call.

There was still enough of a dark mood lingering in the room, but Frank thought he might punch some holes in that mood. _"Hot detective?"_ he questioned.

She paused, even fought a little smile. "I told Anna about you."

"Did you now?" Frank figured it was stupid to be flattered about that, but he was. Especially flattered about the hot part. However, there was a serious message in what Anna had said. "Your sister's right, you know. I will take care of you."

That suddenly seemed a lot more intimate than he'd planned. Probably because of the look Callie gave him. Not an "I'm thankful you're here to protect me" kind of look. But more like the one that had landed them in bed in the first place.

No more fighting a smile. Callie just stared at him. And Frank stared back. With the energy and fire zinging between them. He figured the energy had to do with the relief of knowing Anna was okay and the spent adrenaline.

Or maybe it was even more than that.

Whatever it was, Frank didn't stop it. He slid his hand around Callie's neck, pulled her to him.

And he kissed her.

Callie had seen the kiss coming and thought she'd braced herself for it. She hadn't. That kiss brought everything flooding back. The heat between Frank and her. The emotions.

Her feelings for him.

Everything pinpointed to this moment, and she slid right into the kiss and into his arms. His touch brought back all the memories. Not of the attacks and the danger. But memories of why she'd fallen so hard for him in the first place.

He pulled back, looked at her, and for one heart-dropping moment, she thought he was stopping. "If you're going to say no, say it now," he told her.

Callie had no intention of saying no, and she proved it by pulling him back to her. Of course, that escalated things. She'd known it would. And soon, the kisses weren't nearly enough to satisfy the fire Frank was building inside her.

He caught onto her top, slipping it off, and he took some of those clever kisses to her breasts. And lower. To her stomach. The effect was instant, and while the foreplay was nice, she wasn't in the mood for _nice_. She wanted Frank, and she wanted him now.

She went after his shoulder holster, taking it off and dropping it onto the floor. Then, she went after the zipper of his jeans.

Frank didn't help her, mainly because he was working to get her jeans off and put on a condom that he'd taken from his wallet. They both fumbled, nearly fell on the sofa, but in the end they got it right.

Very right.

Because now she had him naked in her arms.

He snared her gaze when he pushed inside her. Familiar but never ordinary. It couldn't be ordinary with Frank. Even though they'd only been lovers one other time, it felt right, as if this was the only place she should be.

Frank dropped more of those kisses on her mouth. Moved inside her. Each move took her closer and closer to the brink.

It didn't take much. She was starved for him. For this. And while she would have liked for it to have lasted a lot longer, that wasn't possible. The need was too great.

He kissed her again when he sent her flying right over the edge. Frank didn't take long to follow her.

As the climax wracked through her, Callie held onto him and wished they could stay like this, in each other's arms. But one look at his face, and she knew that wasn't possible. Despite the security system, Frank would want to keep vigilant, and that wouldn't happen if they stayed on the sofa. They'd just end up making love again.

He moved off her, kissing her, and disappeared into the bathroom for several moments. When he came back into the main room, she got a nice view of that hot body that'd first attracted her to him.

Callie got up, gathering her clothes. Frank dressed, too, and as expected, when he was finished, he went to the window.

"I'm sorry," he said, staring out. "That was definitely a conflict of interest."

She waited, hoping he'd say that the conflict had been worth it, but he kept his attention fastened outside. Callie tried not to be hurt by that. Tried and failed.

"Are you thinking about your brother?" she asked.

Frank glanced back at her, blinked, and looked very confused. Callie was confused, too. She'd thought his feelings for his brother had been playing into the regret that she now saw on Frank's face. But maybe she'd been wrong. She didn't have time to question him about it, however, because his phone rang.

He glanced at the screen. "It's the dispatch operator," Frank told her.

Since that could mean trouble, she hurried to him so she could hear what was going on.

"Frank, you have a caller who wants to speak to you," the dispatcher said. "Want me to put it through?"

"Yes," Frank said without hesitation, and he put the call on speaker.

"Detective," the caller said a moment later. Everett, of course.

"What do you want now?" she snapped. Callie was so not in the mood to go another round with this snake.

"It's not what I want, Callie," Everett purred. "It's what _you_ want. My men are with your sister. They're having a little visit. I'm not with them, but I'm going to hold my phone close to theirs so you can listen."

And Callie heard something she definitely didn't want to hear.

"Callie," Anna said. "God, I'm so sorry."


	9. Chapter 9

Frank felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. Hell. He prayed this was a hoax, but judging from the sob that tore from Callie's mouth, it was the real deal.

"That's Anna," Callie said, her words and body trembling.

"Yeah, it is," Everett verified.

"Oh, God. Don't hurt her," Callie demanded. Despite the obvious fear, the rage came through in her voice, too.

Frank tried to use some reason here. Hard to do with Callie falling apart right next to him. "How do I know you really have Callie's sister?" he asked Everett. "You're not exactly trustworthy, and that voice could have been some kind of recording."

He saw the hope creep into Callie's eyes, and she pulled in her breath, waiting.

"First things first," Everett said. "Tell the dispatcher to get off the line. I'll know if she's still there, and if she stays on or tries to record this, I hang up."

Everett didn't fill in the last part of that threat, but Frank knew what it was. If he didn't comply, Everett would hurt Anna. Or worse.

"Get off the line," Frank told the dispatcher, and even though she hesitated, he heard the click to let him know the dispatcher was no longer listening.

Everett must have heard it, too, because he growled, "Tell her to talk."

The moments crawled by. "It's me," the woman said.

Frank didn't have to ask Callie if that was indeed her sister's voice. Judging from the way Callie staggered back, it was.

"Some men found us," Anna added, her breath broken and rushed. "They shot Steve. I think he's okay, but he needs an ambulance."

Of course, Everett would have neutralized the bodyguard, but that didn't explain how he'd found them in the first place. But Frank had a general idea of how it'd happened.

"Did you somehow manage to follow Anna to the second safe house?" Frank asked the man.

"Guilty," Everett readily admitted. "All I had to do was get them on the run. People on the run aren't always as vigilant as they should be."

Frank was betting the bodyguard had been plenty vigilant, but he also figured Everett had lots of hired guns watching the roads so he would know exactly where Anna and Steve were going.

Now, here's how this will work," Everett said. "We're on one of the old ranch trails on Marble. Follow the road east to the back fence, and you'll find us. A word of caution though—if you bring any of your lawmen buddies, Anna will be the one who pays for that."

Frank doubted he'd kill Anna. Not right off anyway. Still, Callie's sister was in grave danger and so was Steve.

Even though Frank was about a thousand percent sure he didn't want to hear the answer, he had to ask the question anyway. "What exactly is it you want Callie and me to do?"

"It's simple. I'll trade Anna for Callie. You've got fifteen minutes. For every second after that, I start putting bullets in Anna." Everett hung up.

Frank cursed and tried to clear his head to come up with the best way to handle this. But Callie didn't hesitate.

She grabbed her gun. "Let's go," she insisted.

He caught onto her arm to try to reason with her, but the point of reasoning was long gone.

Callie stormed out the door.

Callie had already made it to the SUV before Frank caught up with her. "This is suicide," he reminded her.

But she didn't need the reminder. Callie knew exactly what Everett wanted to do with her. He wanted to kill her so that she couldn't testify against him. However, that didn't change the situation. The seconds were literally ticking off, and they didn't have much time.

"I can't let him hurt my sister," she said, and Callie hated that the tears came. This wasn't a time for crying or hesitating. Every second Anna was with Everett was a second that she could be hurt. Or killed.

Frank cursed. Huffed. And she saw the exact moment he surrendered. "I'll drive," he insisted. "But we're not going to meet Everett head on. I know these woods like the back of my hand, and we'll try to sneak up on them."

They got in the SUV and he tossed her his phone as they drove away from the cabin. "Text Daniels. Tell him what's going on."

She shook her head. "But Everett said he'd know if you contacted any lawmen."

"Text Daniels on his personal cell. The number's in my contacts. Tell him to do a quiet approach, that this is a hostage situation."

Callie prayed this wasn't a mistake and fired off the text. From all accounts, Daniels was a good cop, but she figured Everett would be watching for something like this.

Frank didn't get on the farm road but instead began to work his way through a series of ranch trails. The SUV bobbed over the rocky surfaces, and he finally came to a stop in a cluster of trees.

They had eight minutes left.

"We'll go on foot from here," he told her. "Stay behind me, and if anything goes wrong, promise me you'll get down."

Callie nodded. But it was a lie. Her priority was to save her sister. Anna was innocent in all of this, and the only reason Everett had taken her was because of Callie's ill-fated involvement with the man. Joe had already paid with his life, and Callie didn't intend for the same thing to happen to her sister.

There was a clearing ahead, but Frank didn't lead her in that direction. Instead, he went into the woods that stretched along both sides of the ranch trail. The trees were close together, and the ground was littered with underbrush. Still, he kept them moving at a steady pace.

Until he stopped and lifted his hand in a stay-quiet gesture.

Callie didn't see anything at first, but she picked through the low hanging branches and finally spotted a truck. The same one that Everett and his goons had been in earlier. There were two men milling around the vehicle, but what she didn't see was Anna.

There were just five minutes left.

"They probably have her inside the truck," Callie whispered.

"Maybe." Frank hesitated. "Do you see Everett?"

She didn't. That could mean he was inside with Anna. Or maybe he wasn't even there. It was possible he'd left his hired guns here to do his dirty work. As much as she wanted to catch him, she wanted to save her sister even more. Then, she could deal with Everett.

"I'm going to get the men's attention," Frank said.

It took her a moment to realize what he meant by that—Frank was literally walking out into the line of fire.

Callie reached for him. But it was too late. Frank stepped out just as she heard the sound behind her.

Footsteps.

And before she could react, someone grabbed her and knocked the gun from her hand.

 _"Finally,"_ that someone whispered in her ear.

Everett.

He put his gun to Callie's head.


	10. Chapter 10

Frank couldn't shoot because he couldn't risk hitting Anna, but the two hired guns didn't have that problem.

Both fired shots at him.

He scrambled to the side, hoping they'd come in pursuit so that Callie and he could get to the truck. But then Frank saw something from the corner of his eye.

Something that put his heart right in his throat.

Hell.

Everett had Callie.

Of course, he'd known something like this could happen. At best this had been a risky plan, but he certainly hadn't seen Everett waiting in the bushes. However, that's exactly what the man had done.

"Don't," Everett warned when Frank pivoted and took aim at him. "You might be a good shot, but I've got the advantage here."

He did. Because Everett was using Callie as a human shield.

The hired guns stopped firing, thank God, because Frank didn't want Callie hit by a stray bullet, especially since she already had a huge threat standing behind her.

Frank heard the sound of a car engine. Maybe Daniels. Except he doubted the sheriff would just drive into this. He hoped more hired guns hadn't arrived.

"Did you see Anna?" Callie asked Frank. Several things went through her eyes. Fear, yes. Worry, that too. But Frank also saw something else.

Determination.

Callie wasn't just going to give up without a fight.

"Anna's fine," Everett said. "One of the men just drove away with her and will drop her off on the main road leading to Marble Falls Ranch. She'll be by the cattle gate. I did you a favor, you know. I could have let her see my face, and then she would have had to die, too. This way, she can't connect me to what's about to happen, and someone else will be blamed for this."

Everett was wrong. Anna would still make the connection, but what she wouldn't have was any proof that Everett was responsible.

Frank didn't have to guess what Everett had in mind. He'd spared Anna, but Everett fully intended to kill both Callie and him.

"You've already murdered his brother," Callie said to Everett, her voice low and dangerous. "I'm not going to let you kill Frank."

Everything happened fast. Practically a blur. Callie rammed her elbow into Everett's stomach, and in the same motion, she dropped down.

And Everett took aim at her.

Frank dove at the man, crashing into him, and Everett didn't stay on his feet. All three of them landed in a heap.

Callie scrambled to get Everett's gun while Frank bashed his fist into the man's face. The first punch didn't do the job. But the second one did. Everett's head flopped back, and Callie ripped the gun from his hand. She stood, taking aim at him.

For a moment Frank thought she might shoot Everett. Frank couldn't blame her. Everett was responsible for a lot of pain and misery. Hell, Frank wanted to shoot him, too. But he had enough of a calm head left to know that there was a better way to get justice.

The shots blasted through the air, and it took Frank a moment to realize the bullets hadn't come their way.

"It's me," Daniels shouted, coming up behind them. "Those hired guns won't be a problem."

Frank was thankful that Daniels had taken care of them, especially since Callie looked ready to collapse. He gladly handed off Everett to Daniels so Frank could take hold of her.

"You're under arrest," Daniels told the man. He latched onto him, dragged him to his feet and cuffed him.

However, Everett didn't have the reaction that Frank expected him to have.

Everett laughed.

"You think this is over?" Everett said, his attention nailed to Callie. "It's not. Hurry or you might not make it to Anna in time to save her."

Callie nearly dropped to her knees. Oh, God. It wasn't over.

"Colt's at the ranch, and I'll call him," Daniels said to them. "Go ahead. Leave. I'll take care of this piece of scum."

Daniels didn't have to tell them twice. Both Frank and she took off running, fighting their way through the woods to get back to the SUV.

"Colt's a good cop," Frank reminded her. "He'll get to Anna in time."

Once they were inside the SUV, he sped off, heading to the main road. Each second seemed to take an eternity, but Callie estimated that it was less than ten minutes before she spotted the black car stopped at the cattle gate that led to the ranch. There was a cruiser in front of it, but Callie didn't see anyone.

Mercy. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

Frank braked to a stop about twenty feet from the truck, and Callie saw Colt then. He had his gun aimed at a man who was kneeling on the ground in front of him. Thank God. Colt had caught him, but Callie didn't feel complete relief until she saw her sister. Anna came out from the side of the truck and ran toward her. Callie ran, too, and pulled her sister into her arms.

"You're okay," Callie said. "The sheriff has Everett under arrest."

Anna didn't appear to have a scratch on her, and even though Callie knew she had to be shaken up, Anna managed a smile when she looked at Frank. "You were right," Anna whispered to her. "He is a hot detective."

Callie was pretty sure Frank heard that because he managed a smile, too, and went to assist Colt.

"He's been talking like crazy," Colt explained. He dragged the guy to his feet, headed to the cruiser. "I got a confession. Everett was going to set up Bruce Cantores to take the fall for murdering Callie and you."

The dispatcher on the take. Everett probably figured it'd be easy to set up someone who was already under suspicion. It sickened her to think of how close Everett's plan had come to working.

Of how close she'd come to losing her sister and Frank.

"Your hot detective's looking worried about you," Anna said. She nudged Callie toward him. "You should probably let him know you're okay."

Callie nodded, went to Frank, figuring she needed to start with a huge apology. But she didn't get a chance to say a word before Frank kissed her. It was long. Very long. And it robbed her of what little breath she had.

"I didn't think you'd ever manage to forgive me," she said.

"Of course, I have." And he kissed her again. This one went on so long that Colt cleared his throat. Anna chuckled.

"You two should get a room," Colt joked, shoving the gunman into the back of the cruiser.

"I got a better idea." Frank looked at her. "Callie, I don't want just a room, I want a life with you."

She blinked. "W-hat?"

"A life," he repeated. "As in the whole package. Trust me when I say it's not the adrenaline talking, I'm in love with you."

The tears came again, and it'd been a long time since she'd shed happy tears. Callie kissed him, smiling through both the tears and the kiss. "I'm in love with you, too."

"I knew it," Anna declared. "You'd be a fool to let a hot detective like that get away."

She would be, and there was no way Callie would let that happen. Frank apparently felt the same way because he caught onto her and hauled her back for another long kiss.

"Just what does the whole package include?" Callie asked with her mouth still against his.

"A life together. More kisses. More sex. More everything." Frank smiled.

"Good." And she meant it. For the first time in months, Callie felt true happiness. "Because I want a happy ending, and I want it with you."

Frank scooped her up in his arms. Kissed her. "Then, let's get started right now."


End file.
